


Pinky Promise?

by wandering_minds



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Ash gets the help he deserved, Griffin is also getting the help he deserved, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, hell she’ll send him there herself, his aunt would definitely sell Jim to Satan for a corn chip, these boys deserved better and I’m gonna give it to them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-10
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-12-07 14:24:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20977382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wandering_minds/pseuds/wandering_minds
Summary: Ash meets his aunt.





	Pinky Promise?

Ash didn’t remember anything about the court.

All he could remember was a woman with blonde hair that was almost borderline brown and olive green eyes. He remembered her smile that was wobbly and unsure, as if she was trying it on for size and didn’t know if it fit.

“Hey, kid,” she began softly, squatting down so she was talking to him rather than at him. She didn’t touch him which Ash was grateful for. He was tired of being touched.

She opened her mouth once before closing it. She sighed before trying again.

“You’re....gonna be living with me, okay?”

Ash spared her a glance. “Why?”

“Because your dad wasn’t doing what he was supposed to. He’s supposed to protect you.”

“And are you?”

“Hm?”

Ash balled his tiny hands into fists and looked her in the eye. He ignored the stinging of his own and glared at her with as much ferocity as he could. It never worked with his coach so he didn’t know what he was trying to achieve. But he wanted to feel strong. He needed to feel strong.

“Are you going to protect me?”

The woman tilted her head and gave him a wry grin. “I’m gonna try my best, kid. I can’t promise you that everything will be perfect because it won’t. But I can promise to be with you every step of the way and we can figure this out together. Okay?”

With trembling lips, Ash lowered his head to hide his tears.

“Okay.”

* * *

The woman at the courthouse was his aunt. Ash was skeptical at first because he never knew his mother and his dad never talked about his family. But Katherine-his aunt-had sat him down and showed him family albums. He was shocked to see his dad as a teenager. He was full of smiles and most of the pictures had him slinging his arms around Katherine’s shoulders as they smiled for the camera.

“He’s so happy,” Ash said quietly, almost to himself. Katherine nodded.

“Yeah. He used to be a cheery little bastard.”

Ash looked at her. “Why isn’t he like that anymore?”

She sighed. “I don’t know, kid. I really don’t know.”

* * *

“Where’s Griffin?”

“Rehab.”

Ash frowned. “What’s that? How come he’s there instead of here?”

Katherine turned to look at him. Ash appreciated that about her. She always looked him in the eye and told him the truth.

“Because you’re brother is really, really sick. He’s going through withdrawal.”

“Withdrawal?”

“Mhm.”

“....like drugs?”

“Yeah, kiddo.”

Ash slumped against the couch, fiddling with his hoodie. “Oh.”

“Would you like a hug?”

“....no. But can I hold your hand?”

“Sure.”

Ash reached out tentatively, sliding his hand into Katherine’s larger one. “You’re hands are really soft,” he mumbled, face burning slightly. Katherine chuckled. “Thanks,” she said, giving his hand a little squeeze. They sat in silence, neither really watching what was on television.

“I miss him.”

“I know.”

“Is he gonna be okay?”

“I don’t know. But he’s a strong kid and he loves you. If anything, you’ll be his motivation to get clean.”

“Am I gonna have to go?”

Katherine turned to him once more. “Where?”

“Rehab.”

Katherine regarded him silently. “No,” she began, “that’s for people with addiction problems. You’d probably have to go to regular therapy.”

“I have to?”

“Yeah. I mean, eventually. You don’t have to go now but...you’ll have to go eventually.”

“Because Coach had sex with me?”

Katherine’s eyes hardened. “That wasn’t sex, Aslan. You were raped. He raped you.”

Ash bit his lip. “But...they said I-“

“Aslan.”

Ash flinched, head lowering. “Yeah?”

“Look at me please?”

Ash hesitated, biting his lip nervously. _She’s not gonna hurt me, _he thought. _She’s nice and she’s pretty and she’s always honest with me._

So with that in mind, he looked up at her. Her eyes shined intensely and everything in Ash wanted to look away but he didn’t.

“It wasn’t your fault. Those people failed you. They left you at the mercy of a monster and you didn’t deserve that. No one deserves that.”

“....will I be okay?”

Katherine smiled at him. “I’ll see to it that you are.”

Ash pulled his hand from her grasp and held up his pinky. “Pinky promise?”

Katherine held up her own pinky and looped it around his. “Pinky promise.”

And strangely? Ash believed her.


End file.
